Cleveland Cliffs Stock Beneish M Score

CLF Stock  USD 12.49  0.03  0.24%   
This module uses fundamental data of Cleveland Cliffs to approximate the value of its Beneish M Score. Cleveland Cliffs M Score tells investors if the company management is likely to be manipulating earnings. The score is calculated using eight financial indicators that are adjusted by a specific multiplier. Please note, the M Score is a probabilistic model and cannot detect companies that manipulate their earnings with 100% accuracy. Check out Cleveland Cliffs Piotroski F Score and Cleveland Cliffs Altman Z Score analysis.
For more detail on how to invest in Cleveland Stock please use our How to Invest in Cleveland Cliffs guide.
  
At this time, Cleveland Cliffs' Debt To Assets are most likely to slightly decrease in the upcoming years. The Cleveland Cliffs' current Long Term Debt To Capitalization is estimated to increase to 0.43, while Long Term Debt is projected to decrease to roughly 2.6 B. At this time, Cleveland Cliffs' Free Cash Flow Yield is most likely to increase slightly in the upcoming years. The Cleveland Cliffs' current Operating Cash Flow Per Share is estimated to increase to 4.67, while Dividend Yield is projected to decrease to 0.01.
At this time, it appears that Cleveland Cliffs is an unlikely manipulator. The earnings manipulation may begin if Cleveland Cliffs' top management creates an artificial sense of financial success, forcing the stock price to be traded at a high price-earnings multiple than it should be. In general, excessive earnings management by Cleveland Cliffs executives may lead to removing some of the operating profits from subsequent periods to inflate earnings in the following periods. This way, the manipulation of Cleveland Cliffs' earnings can lead to misrepresentations of actual financial condition, taking the otherwise loyal stakeholders on to the path of questionable ethical practices and plain fraud.
-2.89
Beneish M Score - Unlikely Manipulator
Elasticity of Receivables

1.0

Focus
Asset Quality

1.0

Focus
Expense Coverage

1.0

Focus
Gross Margin Strengs

0.95

Focus
Accruals Factor

1.0

Focus
Depreciation Resistance

1.0

Focus
Net Sales Growth

1.05

Focus
Financial Leverage Condition

1.0

Focus

Cleveland Cliffs Beneish M-Score Indicator Trends

The cure to earnings manipulation is the transparency of financial reporting. It will typically remove the temptation of the top executives to inflate earnings (i.e., to promote the idea of 'winning at any cost'). Because a healthy internal audit department can enhance transparency, the board should promote the auditors' access to all the record-keeping systems across the enterprise. For example, if Cleveland Cliffs' auditors report directly to the board (not management), the managers will be reluctant to manipulate simply due to the fear of punishment. On the other hand, the auditors will be free to investigate the ledgers properly because they know that the board has their back.
Current ValueLast YearChange From Last Year 10 Year Trend
Net Receivables1.9 B1.8 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Revenue23.1 B22 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Assets18.4 B17.5 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Current AssetsB6.6 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Non Current Assets Total11.4 B10.9 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Property Plant Equipment11 B10.4 B
Sufficiently Up
Pretty Stable
Depreciation And AmortizationB973 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Selling General Administrative605.9 M577 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Current Liabilities3.7 B3.5 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Non Current Liabilities Total6.2 B5.9 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Net Debt3.1 B2.9 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Short Term Debt88.8 M90 M
Fairly Down
Pretty Stable
Long Term Debt2.6 B3.1 B
Significantly Down
Slightly volatile
Long Term Investments167.8 M123 M
Significantly Up
Slightly volatile
Gross Profit Margin0.06010.0632
Notably Down
Slightly volatile

Cleveland Cliffs Beneish M-Score Driver Matrix

One of the toughest challenges investors face today is learning how to quickly synthesize historical financial statements and information provided by the company, SEC reporting, and various external parties in order to detect the potential manipulation of earnings. Understanding the correlation between Cleveland Cliffs' different financial indicators related to revenue, expenses, operating profit, and net earnings helps investors identify and prioritize their investing strategies towards Cleveland Cliffs in a much-optimized way. Analyzing correlations between earnings drivers directly associated with dollar figures is the most effective way to find Cleveland Cliffs' degree of accounting gimmicks and manipulations.

About Cleveland Cliffs Beneish M Score

M-Score is one of many grading techniques for value stocks. It was developed by Professor M. Daniel Beneish of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and published in 1999 under the paper titled The Detection of Earnings Manipulation. The Beneish score is a multi-factor model that utilizes financial identifiers to compile eight variables used to classify whether a company has manipulated its reported earnings. The variables are built from the officially filed financial statements to create a final score call 'M Score.' The score helps to identify companies that are likely to manipulate their profits if they show deteriorating gross margins, operating expenses, and leverage against growing revenue.

Other Operating Expenses

22.38 Billion

At this time, Cleveland Cliffs' Other Operating Expenses is most likely to increase significantly in the upcoming years.

Cleveland Cliffs Earnings Manipulation Drivers

Although earnings manipulation is typically not the result of intentional misconduct by the c-level executives, it is still a widespread practice by the senior management of public companies such as Cleveland Cliffs. It is usually done by a series of misrepresentations of various accounting rules and operating activities across multiple financial cycles. The best way to spot the manipulation is to examine the historical financial statement to find inconsistencies in earning reports to find trends in assets or liabilities that are not sustainable in the future.
201920202021202220232024 (projected)
Net Receivables152.6M1.2B2.2B2.0B1.8B1.9B
Total Revenue2.0B5.4B20.4B23.0B22.0B23.1B
Total Assets3.5B16.8B19.0B18.8B17.5B18.4B
Total Current Assets897.9M5.3B7.7B7.4B6.6B7.0B
Net Debt1.8B5.3B5.2B4.2B2.9B3.1B
Short Term Debt22.1M144M147M136M90M88.8M
Long Term Debt2.1B5.4B5.2B4.2B3.1B2.6B
Operating Income429.3M5M4.0B1.9B677M710.9M
Investments(644.4M)(2.0B)(1.4B)(936M)(679M)(713.0M)
Gross Profit Margin0.350.290.04710.110.06320.0601

Cleveland Cliffs ESG Sustainability

Some studies have found that companies with high sustainability scores are getting higher valuations than competitors with lower social-engagement activities. While most ESG disclosures are voluntary and do not directly affect the long term financial condition, Cleveland Cliffs' sustainability indicators can be used to identify proper investment strategies using environmental, social, and governance scores that are crucial to Cleveland Cliffs' managers, analysts, and investors.
Environmental
Governance
Social

About Cleveland Cliffs Fundamental Analysis

The Macroaxis Fundamental Analysis modules help investors analyze Cleveland Cliffs's financials across various querterly and yearly statements, indicators and fundamental ratios. We help investors to determine the real value of Cleveland Cliffs using virtually all public information available. We use both quantitative as well as qualitative analysis to arrive at the intrinsic value of Cleveland Cliffs based on its fundamental data. In general, a quantitative approach, as applied to this company, focuses on analyzing financial statements comparatively, whereas a qaualitative method uses data that is important to a company's growth but cannot be measured and presented in a numerical way.
Please read more on our fundamental analysis page.

Currently Active Assets on Macroaxis

When determining whether Cleveland Cliffs is a strong investment it is important to analyze Cleveland Cliffs' competitive position within its industry, examining market share, product or service uniqueness, and competitive advantages. Beyond financials and market position, potential investors should also consider broader economic conditions, industry trends, and any regulatory or geopolitical factors that may impact Cleveland Cliffs' future performance. For an informed investment choice regarding Cleveland Stock, refer to the following important reports:
Check out Cleveland Cliffs Piotroski F Score and Cleveland Cliffs Altman Z Score analysis.
For more detail on how to invest in Cleveland Stock please use our How to Invest in Cleveland Cliffs guide.
You can also try the FinTech Suite module to use AI to screen and filter profitable investment opportunities.
Is Metals & Mining space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Cleveland Cliffs. If investors know Cleveland will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Cleveland Cliffs listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.99)
Earnings Share
(0.94)
Revenue Per Share
41.222
Quarterly Revenue Growth
(0.18)
Return On Assets
0.005
The market value of Cleveland Cliffs is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Cleveland that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Cleveland Cliffs' value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Cleveland Cliffs' true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Cleveland Cliffs' market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Cleveland Cliffs' underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between Cleveland Cliffs' value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if Cleveland Cliffs is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Cleveland Cliffs' price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.